In the ophthalmic microsurgical art, there are a number of different arrangements known for providing operator interfaces with pneumatic and electronic control consoles used to power and operate microsurgical instruments such as phacoemulsification probes, irrigation needles, air-exchange needles, vitrectomy probes, microsurgical scalpels used in capsular anterior capsulotomy (CAC) procedures, bipolar coagulation electrodes, aspiration needles, and the like. In the past, separate individual control cabinets were provided for the individual pieces of a control equipment required to power operate the one particular instrument, for example, a guillotine-type vitrectomy probe, which requires aspiration and a pulsating pneumatic signal to drive its internal spring-biased piston. Such a control cabinet is typically provided with an adjustment knob for regulating air pressure, another knob for regulating the frequency of the pulsating pneumatic signal, and oftentimes a an LED read-out of the vacuum level used for aspiration, and another LED display in cycles per minute ("cpm") for displaying the cut rate or frequency of the pneumatic driving signal. As another example, it is known to provide a self-contained control module for producing electrical energy at ultrasonic frequencies for driving a phacoemulsification probe. This control module would typically include one or more adjustment knobs for changing the level of electrical input power to the probe, the duty cycle of the electrical signal, and a plurality of LED displays for providing a read-out of pertinent information such as average power level and an elapsed time value indicating the total time ultrasonic energy has been utilized during the surgical procedure. Such phaco probes also normally require aspiration to suction away disintegrated fragments and other debris created by use of the phaco probe, and the supply of irrigation to help wash away such disintegrated fragments.
Thus, in order to have a complete ophthalmic surgical system capable of performing all operations, a hospital or clinic purchased several control modules, each in their own enclosure, which could be used separately or simultaneously, depending upon the requirements of the particular surgical procedure. However, each control cabinet had its own operator interface, with LED displays, dials, knobs and buttons as described above. Each also had its own separate connector or port for plugging in the appropriate instrument cable, tubing line or other needed connector. In this environment, each separate surgical piece of equipment was operating autonomously, at least in a physical sense.
Such pieces of individually designed equipment do not provide a common operator interface for selecting all of these functions. One consequence of this practice was a multiplicity of footpedals, one for each separately controlled instrument. This situation was not entirely satisfactory to surgeons, so a more integrated approach to interfacing various pieces of control equipment evolved. A number of newer systems now provide a footpedal with a plurality of switches mounted thereon so that more than one function can be controlled via a single footpedal.
A few years ago, the assignee of the present invention, namely Storz Instrument Company of St. Louis, Mo. (hereinafter "Storz"), introduced to the market a fully integrated control console for ophthalmic surgery for use in performing almost all types of ophthalmic surgical procedures. This integrated control system and console is sold under the trademark "DAISY" and has enjoyed considerable commercial success. It supported a wide variety of microsurgical instruments. One of the unique features of the DAISY control console is its use of a CRT display with two columns of five membrane-type switches adjacent either vertical side of the display screen and a horizontal row of four endless digital potentiometers adjacent the bottom of the display screen. A slot for an aspirant collection cassette was provided in the lower-front corner of the console, and a horizontal row of instrument connector ports was provided below the row of potentiometers, allowing a variety of microsurgical instruments to be plugged in. A footpedal assembly for use by the surgeon conducting the operation was also provided. The DAISY console also included a pneumatic system for producing aspiration and pulsating pneumatic signals for driving various instruments such as guillotine cutters used in vitrectomies and microscissors used for vitreoretinal operations, and electrical systems for bipolar cautery and phacoemulsification.
Although the DAISY console has been well received, there still remains, on the part of a number of ophthalmic surgeons, a desire to have more "hands-on" control over the surgical control equipment they use. In a typical ophthalmic operation, a surgeon often has the assistance of a scrub nurse and a circulating nurse, and sometimes others. The surgeon spends much time peering through a binocular microscope to obtain a magnified view of the eye being operated upon. Thus, the surgeon typically requests assistance from the nursing staff for activity such as changing pressures, power levels, and cut rates, raising or lowering the IV bottle containing the saline solution used to irrigate the eye, and changing the control modes of the equipment. Under some circumstances, such as a cataract operation where an emergency vitrectomy must be performed, the surgeon may well be involved in completing one task, such as a phacoemulsification procedure, while the other members of the surgical team are busy setting up for a different surgical procedure, such as a vitrectomy. Under such circumstances, it would be extremely useful if there were two separate means for controlling the surgical equipment. A remote control console, particularly one which could provide most of the functionality of the main control console, would be extremely useful.
In other circumstances involving use of the DAISY console, a surgeon may wish to personally select a different surgical procedure at the same time that the assistant needs to read another screen providing instructions for some procedure. Also, the surgeon may wish to change surgical procedures, control modes or parameter settings when the nurses are occupied setting up tools or equipment for the next surgical procedure to be performed. In this situation, a remote control console would also be helpful.
In light of the foregoing needs, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a remote control console for use in conjunction with a main console of a microsurgical system used to operate microsurgical instruments. It is a related object of the present invention to provide such a remote controller which simulates most of the functionality provided through the operator interface on a main surgical console.
It is a related object of the present invention to provide a remote control console having a display region capable of displaying or illuminating a variety of different messages depending upon the particular surgical procedure being performed. It is a further object to provide a plurality of input switches disposed adjacent such a display region on the remote unit for allowing a user to select different surgical procedures or adjust various controls, and/or parameter settings as desired.